From the Editor

13 Going on 30 hasn't topped Citizen Kane as my favorite publishing movie, but it does have a few funny moments. The first comes when Jennifer Garner, having been magically transformed from an awkward 13-year-old girl into a 30-year-old magazine editor, realizes she'd better learn something about her chosen profession. Her crash course consists of a bag of Cheetos and a copy of Magazine Publishing for Dummies.

I'm not much for Cheetos, but if such a book actually existed I'd be on Amazon this very minute (and I'd gladly pay for overnight shipping). The first thing I'd look for is a chapter on "Forecasting for Growth."

Back in 2001, I wrote to you that we were moving into bigger offices and expanding our publishing schedule from six issues per year to eight. We figured that both would fit us for a long, long time.

Less than four years later, we're once again looking for more space. Our offices on Speer Boulevard, which once seemed so spacious, are now as cramped as our former digs on Pennsylvania Street.

But what's really gotten crowded is our publishing schedule.

Having doubled the size of our editorial staff in 2004 (and likely by another 50 percent in 2005-assuming we can find someplace to put them), we're now producing more great stories than will fit into nine issues (we added the ninth issue last year).

So, starting in February, we'll be making one of the biggest changes in the 12-year history of 5280. We'll begin publishing monthly.

First and foremost, a monthly 5280 will make us more timely than ever before. Beyond that, however, it's a bit like popping the top on a crowded house. Suddenly there's room to expand signature pieces like "Denver's Top Doctors" and "Dining in Denver," while at the same time allowing for more of the long-form narratives that have been attracting national attention for 5280 in the last year.

If you're a subscriber, don't worry. You may have signed up for nine issues, but we want you around for the full year. Your subscription has been extended; think of it as our way of saying thanks for your continued support of 5280.

My other favorite moment in 13 Going on 30 comes when Garner and her staff get the word that their magazine's circulation is down and the corporate daddies think it's time for drastic measures. "They're talking about the R-word," groans one staffer, clearly unwilling to speak the dreaded syllables: Redesign.

With 5280 winning national awards and setting sales records on the newsstand, we don't have those kinds of worries. Even so, Kevin Goodbar, 5280's art director, is just as reluctant to use the R-word to describe the changes we're introducing with this issue. Call it a freshening. Call it a housecleaning. But, for Kevin's sake, please don't call it a redesign.

I think Kevin's changes have made the magazine more readable (especially the listings) as well as more logically organized. They also set the stage for some new departments and features we'll be introducing in the months ahead.

Beyond that, I'll let the magazine speak for itself. Dig in, and don't hesitate to let us know what you think.

From the Archives

Slideshows

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Johnson & Wales students, all baking and pastry arts majors, competed in the Gingerbread Takeover from December 6–8. Final judging took place on Thursday in the lobby of the Sheraton Downtown Denver hotel. All photos by Sarah Boyum

Photo of the Week

The American Society of Interior Designers' (ASID) Colorado Chapter decorated the Governor's Residence for the holidays. Holiday tours, free and open to the public, will take place December 8-11 and December 15-18 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. All photos by Sarah Boyum